Belmont Abbey College Selects Architect for New Performing Arts Center

Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., recently announced the selection of Little Diversified Architectural Consulting (Little) to serve as the project architect for its new Visual and Performing Arts Center, according to a news release. The 1,000-seat theater will serve the college and local community as a home for theater, visual arts, performing arts, art exhibitions, and other cultural and educational events.

“We look forward to partnering with Belmont Abbey College and the surrounding region to bring their vision to reality,” said Tom Balke, AIA, Little’s Community Studio Principal. “Creating a performance and cultural space that provides unique experiences while reflecting this community’s aspirations is an important driver of the design outcomes.”

The project also involves renovating the Haid Theatre on the Bellmont Abbey College campus. Community feedback determined that the 200-seat theater can’t meet the college’s current needs, but that it is of enough historical importance to preserve alongside the new space, the news release reports.

"Belmont Abbey is to be commended for putting together an advisory group to provide input into planning for this project,” said Reeves McGlohon, member of the advisory committee and retired superintendent of Gaston County Schools. “They have supported the advisory group and have listened to what we have had to say. There is no doubt in my mind that the work of the advisory group in conjunction with the Abbey will lead to a final product that will meet the needs of the college and the community at large.”

The North Carolina General Assembly approved $9 million in funding for the project in October 2023.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.